Exclusive poll: Schools are making the grade

Here is some local news about our school system:

 

By Dalia Dangerfield , Reporter 
Last Updated: Thursday, October 21, 2010

 

TAMPA -- 

Bay area parents are overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of their children's schools and the education they are receiving.

Those are the findings of a St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 exclusive poll that asked parents with children in Bay area schools about major education issues, including homework, the quality of schools, the FCAT, technology and advanced placement courses.

Despite all the talk about school budgets, class size issues, standardized tests and early release days, 90 percent of Bay area parents call their kid's schools good or excellent.

And the happiest seem to be in Hillsborough County.

"If I were giving a grade this is my third child that's come through so I'd have to give it an A+,'' said Elizabeth Kieffer, a parent at Coleman Middle School in Tampa.

Fifty-six percent of parents in Hillsborough County rated their kids' schools as excellent - 37 percent said good and three percent called their child's schools fair. Only four percent said their child's school was poor.

Pinellas parents also are pleased with the public school system. They rated their schools like this:

Excellent - 52 percent

Good - 37 percent

Fair - 7 percent

Poor - 2 percent

Meanwhile, parents in Pasco and Hernando counties also gave their schools a high approval rating.

The poll also collected parent response on topics like homework, the FCAT, technology and advance placement.See the full results here.

 

Click here to view more.

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